In 2004, we hit the road big time!!!
We were off to Italy for 2 weeks. I was so nervous as i got on the plane, knowing that i was going to be traveling over the ocean FOREVER! Getting off the plane and reading signs that i had no clue what they said, or listening to people muttering weird foreign phrases got me really excited. I knew I was in for a treat!
Our first stop was in Rome, the "Eternal City". I loved Rome. The sights and sounds I experienced in Rome can be matched by very few other things I have seen. It was amazing to stand in a building that was built before Christ! I read this quote once and it fits my thoughts on Rome to a T: " It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the Eternal City - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino, the gory resonance of the Colosseum, trying to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your caffe latte."
Here we are standing at the Colosseum
We even saw the Pope speak one of his last speeches. I of course had no clue what he said...i don't think the Romans understood either.
We had a small stop in Ostia Antica- an old seaport off the Tiber River. One of the most beautiful places we went to was Tivoli Gardens. These gardens are at the "Renaissance Villa D'esta- home of a Cardinal. The palace was surrounded by beautiful fountains and gardens, and the place was usually used just for entertainment purposes. The fountains were set up to play music and for jokes from the Cardinal, water would sometimes squirt out of the fountains splashing down on innocent bystanders.
The highlight of our trip was using the restroom. Anytime you had to use the restroom, and you were not at a restaurant, you had to pay for services. And they were not always the quality you have at home. In Tuscany, we had to pay $.20 to use a little hole in the ground. Thank goodness for the rails on the wall for sake of balancing...
Our next big stop in Italy was Florence. Florence is the capital city of Tuscany. Florence is considered the birth place of the Italian Renaissance, and is very famous for its art and architecture. We saw the famous statue of David, visited the beautiful church "Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore", and spent hours in the Uffizi museum. It was neat walking the streets that other famous men of our history walked, such as Michelangelo, Dante, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Galileo.
Off to Venice...the city of Light. This city is built entirely on islands all connected via bridges. 118 islands to be exact and about 400 bridges. It is very easy to get lost in the city as it is canal after canal. One night after dinner we got turned around and every time we thought we were getting somewhere, we ended up at water. I loved the nightlife in the city. After dinner, people would just gather at the square and listen to the strolling musicians. And of course, no visit to Venice is complete without taking a gondola ride.
The most relaxing night our trip was when were in the city of Assisi. The city is full of monks and nuns and it seemed like we were the only tourist around. Our hotel was located at the entrance of "St. Frances of Assisi" and at all hours of the night you could hear chanting and monks walking the streets. There was a balcony on top of our hotel where we sat with our tour group one night, sipping on lattes, and just soaking in our environment. This is the view from our balcony.
Our last stop of our trip was back in Rome where we visited St. Peters Basilica, and said goodbye to all of our new friends. We ended the night by going to the Trevi Fountain. Tradition says if you throw a coin in the fountain with your back turned away from the water, you will return to Rome one day....and I hope I do.
We were off to Italy for 2 weeks. I was so nervous as i got on the plane, knowing that i was going to be traveling over the ocean FOREVER! Getting off the plane and reading signs that i had no clue what they said, or listening to people muttering weird foreign phrases got me really excited. I knew I was in for a treat!
Our first stop was in Rome, the "Eternal City". I loved Rome. The sights and sounds I experienced in Rome can be matched by very few other things I have seen. It was amazing to stand in a building that was built before Christ! I read this quote once and it fits my thoughts on Rome to a T: " It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the Eternal City - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino, the gory resonance of the Colosseum, trying to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your caffe latte."
Here we are standing at the Colosseum
We even saw the Pope speak one of his last speeches. I of course had no clue what he said...i don't think the Romans understood either.
We had a small stop in Ostia Antica- an old seaport off the Tiber River. One of the most beautiful places we went to was Tivoli Gardens. These gardens are at the "Renaissance Villa D'esta- home of a Cardinal. The palace was surrounded by beautiful fountains and gardens, and the place was usually used just for entertainment purposes. The fountains were set up to play music and for jokes from the Cardinal, water would sometimes squirt out of the fountains splashing down on innocent bystanders.
The highlight of our trip was using the restroom. Anytime you had to use the restroom, and you were not at a restaurant, you had to pay for services. And they were not always the quality you have at home. In Tuscany, we had to pay $.20 to use a little hole in the ground. Thank goodness for the rails on the wall for sake of balancing...
Our next big stop in Italy was Florence. Florence is the capital city of Tuscany. Florence is considered the birth place of the Italian Renaissance, and is very famous for its art and architecture. We saw the famous statue of David, visited the beautiful church "Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore", and spent hours in the Uffizi museum. It was neat walking the streets that other famous men of our history walked, such as Michelangelo, Dante, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Galileo.
Off to Venice...the city of Light. This city is built entirely on islands all connected via bridges. 118 islands to be exact and about 400 bridges. It is very easy to get lost in the city as it is canal after canal. One night after dinner we got turned around and every time we thought we were getting somewhere, we ended up at water. I loved the nightlife in the city. After dinner, people would just gather at the square and listen to the strolling musicians. And of course, no visit to Venice is complete without taking a gondola ride.
The most relaxing night our trip was when were in the city of Assisi. The city is full of monks and nuns and it seemed like we were the only tourist around. Our hotel was located at the entrance of "St. Frances of Assisi" and at all hours of the night you could hear chanting and monks walking the streets. There was a balcony on top of our hotel where we sat with our tour group one night, sipping on lattes, and just soaking in our environment. This is the view from our balcony.
Our last stop of our trip was back in Rome where we visited St. Peters Basilica, and said goodbye to all of our new friends. We ended the night by going to the Trevi Fountain. Tradition says if you throw a coin in the fountain with your back turned away from the water, you will return to Rome one day....and I hope I do. 
